TechBytes: NSA Aids Banks Against Cyber Attacks

Oct. 27, 2011— -- In today's TechBytes, spies are helping American banks.

The National Security Agency reportedly provides Wall Street banks with information about foreign hackers.

Reuters says that's a sign of growing fears of financial sabotage.

The NSA is the electronic espionage arm of the Defense Department.

Apple Patents Unlocking Feature

Apple now has a U.S. patent for the slide-to-unlock feature on its iPhones, iPads and iPod touches, as first demonstrated by Steve Jobs four years ago.

That means that no competitors' devices can unlock with that same hand gesture -- not if their makers don't want to face legal action from Apple.

Apple has been battling other smartphone makers over a variety of patents, including this one.

Embarrassing E-books

A new poll finds that a third of British e-book owners are too embarrassed to let anyone know what they are reading.

Luckily, unlike paperbacks, there's no lurid cover on an e-book to announce how lowbrow it is.

But that may be why 1 in 5 of those polled said they would not claim their e-readers if they were lost.